Critical Thinking for College Success
Workshop Essay #2
This assignment supports the following Course Objectives:
4. Evaluate inductive arguments for generalizations
5. Evaluate inductive arguments for analogies
6. Evaluate inductive arguments for causation
7. Evaluate inductive arguments from authority
9. Analyze personal financial behaviors
10. Analyze personal time management
11. Analyze relationships of persons of influence
To complete this assignment, compose your essay in a document following the directions
elow. When complete, save your file in docx or pdf format, then upload it into the D2L
Assignment Submission Folder for Workshop Essay #2.
Directions:
• Length: 4-5 pages, 12 point font, double-spaced
• Due by 11:59 pm next Monday (See Course Schedule for the exact due date.)
• This essay is divided into five sections. Think of each section as standing on its own and
label each as Section I, Section II, Section III, Section IV, and Section V. This essay is
worth 100 points and 10% of your final grade.
• Be sure to carefully read the section requirements below. If you are missing any of the
equirements, you will lose points.
• Remember our mantra to think in paragraphs.
Section I-- Personal Definition of Success-- 1 paragraph, Approximately ½ a page (10
points)
Repeat your personal definition of success from Essay #1 (Section IV, Paragraph #1). You may
copy and paste or make changes.
From Essay #1, Section IV, Paragraph #1: Describe your personal definition of success for your life. Be as specific as
possible and offer details, e.g. describe milestones that might help you measure your success (e.g. In 2 years I will
complete my degree, In 5 years I will work doing ____, In 10 years I will own my own home and start a family, I will
travel to XXXXXXXXXXDescribe this definition in detail in one full paragraph (at least 4-6 sentences)
Section II— Sources and Generalizations-- 3 Paragraphs, Approximately 1-1.5 pages (30
points)
Remember Module 9 and our criteria for assessing authorities.
Paragraph #1: Perform a “Google search” related to your personal definition of success. For
example, if my personal definition of success is to own my own business, I might search “own
your own business.” Begin your paragraph by indicating what keyword(s) you used in your
search. Look through the first page of results and summarize your findings. Do the results looks
helpful? What are some examples of useful and trustworthy results? What are some examples
of i
elevant or untrustworthy results? Explain why you found these sources to be useful and
trustworthy or not. Identify at least one key finding related to the original issue of your success.
Describe your results in one full paragraph (at least 4-6 sentences).
Paragraph #2: Now, instead of Google, search a li
ary database (or set of databases). Follow
this link to the main page of the HTC Li
ary. Enter your keyword(s) into the search bar
(example below). Use the same keyword(s) that you used in Paragraph #1. This will perform a
search across all li
ary databases.
Your results will look something like this:
It’s a great idea to “Sign In” using your Star ID so that you can see full text results. Look through
the top results and summarize your findings. Do the results looks helpful? How do the results
compare to the results of your Google search? What are some examples of useful results?
What are some examples of i
elevant results? For the useful results, are the sources
https:
hennepintech.edu/cu
ent-students/li
ary/index.html
trustworthy? How would you assess this? Identify at least one key finding related to the original
issue of your success. Describe your results in one full paragraph (at least 4-6 sentences).
Paragraph #3: Perform a second search using the HTC Li
ary databases, this time using a
different keyword(s). Look through the top results and summarize your findings. Do the results
looks helpful? How do the results compare to the results of your Google search? What are
some examples of useful results? What are some examples of i
elevant results? For the useful
esults, are the sources trustworthy? How would you assess this? Identify at least one key
finding related to the original issue of your success. Describe your results in one full paragraph
(at least 4-6 sentences).
Section III—Analogies--2 Paragraphs, Approximately 1 page (20 points)
Paragraph #1: Describe an exemplar of your personal definition of success. You may want to
efer to an example from your Workshop Essay #1, Section IV, Paragraph #2:
Give examples of people who are successful according to your personal definition of success, i.e. who are
people who you look up to and have achieved parts of your definition. Describe these examples in one full
paragraph (at least 4-6 sentences). Note: these examples don’t have to be perfect embodiments of all parts
of your definition. Instead, different examples could illustrate different aspects of your definition.
Focus on one exemplar and describe how this exemplar meets your personal definition of
success (at least 4-6 sentences).
Paragraph #2: Think of this exemplar as an analogy argument that can help you understand
your definition of success. Identify the qualities that are similar between this exemplar and your
personal definition of success (at least 4-6 sentences).
Section IV—Causes and Generalizations--3 Paragraphs, Approximately 1 page (30 points)
Paragraph #1: Refe
ing to the Module 8 reading “Causal Reasoning” by Matthew Knachal,
summarize Mill’s 5 Methods (also see Module 8 Reading/Listening Notes pages 3 and 4).
Describe the 5 Methods in one full paragraph (at least 4-6 sentences)
Paragraph #2: Identify 3-4 different times that you’ve been successful in the past. What are
some factors that affected your success? (for example, self-confidence, hard work, etc.). Notice
how this is similar to Mill’s Method of Agreement.
Paragraph #3: Using the examples in Paragraph #2, identify the factors that are the same
across the examples. Then identify the factors that were different across the examples. Notice
how this is similar to Mill’s Method of Difference.
Section V—Conclusion—1 Paragraph, Approximately ½ a page (10 points)
Repeat your personal definition of success and then summarize the connections between your
definition, the related studies and generalizations in Section II, analogy in Section III and causal
steps and generalization in Section IV. After exploring and analyzing authorities, analogies,
generalizations, and causal relationships, what lessons did you take away from this essay?
https:
human.li
etexts.org/Bookshelves/Philosophy/Book%3A_Fundamental_Methods_of_Logic_(Knachel)/5%3A_Inductive_Logic_I_-_Analogical_and_Causal_Arguments/5.3%3A_Causal_Reasoning